I'm not going to get into my emotional state today. I'm just heading straight into prayer and Bible readings.
"God of my end,
It is my greatest, noblest pleasure to be acquainted with thee and with my rational, immortal soul;
It is sweet and entertaining to look into my being when all my powers and passions are united and engaged in pursuit of thee, when my soul longs and passionately breathes after conformity to thee and the full enjoyment of thee;
No hours pass away with so much pleasure as those spent in communion with thee and with my heart.
O how desirable, how profitable to the Christian life is a spirit of holy watchfulness and godly jealousy over myself, when my soul is afraid of nothing except grieving and offending thee, the blessed God, my Father and friend, whom I then love and long to please, rather than be happy myself!
Knowing, as I do, that this is the pious temper, worthy of the highest ambition, and closest pursuit of intelligent creatures and holy Christians, may my joy derive from glorifying and delighting thee.
I long to fill all my time for thee, whether at home or in the way; to place all my concerns in thy hands; to be entirely at they disposal, having no will or interest of my own.
Help me to live to thee for ever, to make thee my last and only end, so that I may never more in one instance love my sinful self."
So, do I truly long to please God more than I want myself to be happy? That is a painful question. I have a strong desire to want to be that way. At least maybe that's a good starting place.
By the way, in case anyone is wondering about the sudden appearance of these prayers written in extremely old style English, I got this book a few days ago, called The Valley of Vision. It is "A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions."
22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. 23 My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed. 24 And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.
And I will also praise God with the guitar and the piano, as well as with my lips and tongue!
Don Wyrtzen, in A Musician Looks At the Psalms, says this: "I thrill to the variety of musical instruments mentioned in the Book of Psalms and to the parts of the body used in praising the Lord. Hands clap and strum; lips shout; vocal cords resonate and sing; tongues confess and testify; feet dance! Our very bodies are created to perform a symphony of praise!"
Let us worship God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And let us worship him in reckless abandon!
I pray for success in my job hunt. But more than just success, I pray for the job that you have for me, and I pray for the patience to wait for it, if need be. I also pray that you would help me to keep "my chin up" during this time and not be discouraged or depressed. That is not befitting a child of God.
PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
Welfare and unemployment beneficiaries would have to pass a drug test to qualify for programs under an amendment
to the tax extension legislation introduced by Sen. Orin Hatch (Utah).
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Maryland) said legislators are concerned about the direction of the U.S. military
campaign in Afghanistan, hinting that support for the war effort is eroding.
Pray that our legislators would consider the long-term impact of pending legislation instead of immediate posturing.
Grace and peace, friends.